Back to the 80s Machinery Factory

Chapter 437 The factory manager is coming?
Wang Qingzhou's voice came through the phone, and he sounded to be in a good mood.

"Tell me, what good news is it this time?"

Chen Luyang's eyes lit up: "Factory Director, you're amazing! I really do have good news to report to you."

"Today, I took the liberty of collaborating with the Department of Mechanics at Peking University to use the repair shop as an off-campus experimental site to support the Department of Mechanics' research projects."

As she spoke, Chen Luyang quickly added:

"Don't worry, factory manager! Our relationship with Peking University is one of cooperation, not subordination."

“When we repair cars and replace parts, we get a lot of old and worn-out parts, right? They study those old and worn-out parts, which doesn’t affect our normal work. They even give us 100 yuan a month as financial support.”

Ok.

Wang Qingzhou gave a nonchalant "hmm".

This contrasted sharply with Chen Luyang's jubilant mood.

Okay~

Chen Luyang sighed softly; even he himself felt that these words were somewhat meaningless.

It's only 100 yuan a month, nothing to brag about.

But there's nothing we can do, every little bit counts!
Even a small achievement is better than having no achievements at all and just asking for money.

Seeing that Wang Qingzhou wasn't interested in the matter, Chen Luyang decisively changed the subject.

"Factory Manager~ I just heard from Xiao Xu that you were interviewed by the newspaper? What good news is this?"

Wang Qingzhou's tone finally showed a slight change.

"Speaking of which, I owe my interview today to you, Factory Director Chen!"

"Oh dear, factory manager, please don't make fun of me. I'm not a factory manager at all!"

Chen Luyang felt a numbness in her back.

I'm currently far away in Pian'er City, and I don't know much about what's happening at the factory.

He couldn't figure out whether Wang Qingzhou's words were a joke or a veiled sarcasm.

"I'm just a small repair shop manager, nothing special."

While Chen Luyang was frantically trying to find a way out, Wang Qingzhou laughed:

"If you hadn't written a textbook, and I hadn't benefited from it, I wouldn't have had the chance to be in the newspaper!"

Chen Luyang was sweating profusely.

What does this even mean...?

How am I supposed to respond to that?
"Alright, I have to go to a meeting in the provincial capital soon. If you're free, you can hang up now."

"Okay okay."

I put down the phone with a pounding heart.

Chen Luyang stood there pondering for a long time, but the more she thought about it, the more something seemed off!
It was clearly good news.

As a result, there was not a single word of praise or compliment, and even a phone call from him was met with unease.

"No... I have to ask."

Chen Luyang dialed Tang Xi's number again.

Da Le works in the factory's publicity department, so he must know about the interview that Director Wang conducted today.

The call is connected.

Upon hearing Chen Luyang's voice, Tang Dale immediately raised his voice.

"Brother Chen! You're famous now!"

Um? ? ? ?

Chen Luyang looked suspicious.

"What do you mean 'I'm famous now'? Haven't I always been quite famous?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"Brother Chen, I have a factory press release with over a million words left to go before the deadline. Time is tight. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."

"No! Don't hang up!" Chen Luyang quickly reassured him.

"Come tell me, what's made me famous this time?"

"...He's probably still fucking dead!"

"Hey! Da Le, I have to criticize you... You're as warm and welcoming as a spring breeze to everyone else, but why are you as cold and indifferent as winter to me!"

Chen Luyang was somewhat displeased.

Tang Xi on the other end of the phone: ...

At last!
After much persuasion, Chen Luyang finally found out what had happened.

It turns out that Chen Luyang's book won the second prize from the Ministry of Education and was also included in the foreign language reference catalog.

Although he was unable to give an interview while in the city.

However, he wrote this book as an employee of the provincial machinery factory, and Wang Qingzhou has now been promoted to deputy director of the Industrial Department.

Therefore, the provincial newspaper simply started from the perspective of "cadre training".

The main purpose was to interview Wang Qingzhou about how he transformed a student who failed the college entrance exam into a nationally recognized outstanding textbook author.

Upon hearing this, Chen Luyang's mind went blank.

He has no grudge against the provincial newspaper!
Why on earth would you write about failing your exam?!
On the other end of the phone, Tang Xi continued to explain:
"Our Factory Director Wang put it very well, saying that your growth is a reflection of the 'knowledgeization of skilled workers' on the industrial front in the new era!"

"It is an exploration of 'rejuvenating young cadres'."

"You even said that you got into university not to escape the working class, but to give workers an extra leg and an extra hammer."

"Anyway, I've explained it to you very well."

Chen Luyang was stunned.

Although Wang Qingzhou is now the director of the Provincial Machinery Factory, the province's No. 1 project, and also the deputy director of the Department of Industry, he does need to speak with a certain level of authority.

But isn't this height a bit too high?

Despite his confusion, there was one thing he understood.

The real purpose of this interview was not to interview myself.

Instead, we should use ourselves as a starting point to interview and publicize Wang Qingzhou's experience and practices in identifying, appointing, and cultivating young cadres.

That's good...

Having figured this out, Chen Luyang finally felt relieved.

It seems that Director Wang is in a pretty good mood.

That put his mind at ease.
After chatting with Tang Xi for a while, he happily ran back to school to continue his classes.

at the same time,

I learned that the repair shop had been successfully designated as an off-campus experimental site.

The happiest people, besides Chen Luyang, were Zhang Nan.

"Very good……!"

In the laboratory, after hearing Lin Qiming say that Chen Luyang had officially signed the document and that Jinba Auto Repair and Maintenance Center had become the experimental site, Zhang Nan couldn't help but let out a joyful shout.

Ever since that trip to the "repair shop," he lay on the machine tool and drew a few blueprints, and then slept at the repair shop that night.

Zhang Nan seems like a completely different person.

Originally a "classic student" who devoted himself to the laboratory and insisted on neat and precise drawings, he now goes to the repair shop every few days, more often than anyone else!

If it's just about going with everyone to measure data, then that's fine.

If he encounters people who need to use experimental equipment for sample analysis and cannot go to the repair shop, he will take a car there by himself.

He first went to the repair shop to greet Director Lu and Zhang Guoqiang, and then went to the factory to see the parts processing and communicate with the master craftsmen about the details of the manufacturing process.

After visiting many times, Zhang Nan felt like she was coming home.
Sometimes, as soon as he arrives at the repair shop, he shouts at the top of his lungs and rides away on his bicycle, heading straight to the processing plant with practiced ease.

At first, when the experienced workers at the processing plant saw him, they would politely call him "Engineer Zhang".

Later, he was simply called "the college student who draws blueprints" or "Xiao Zhang".

Every time he went, Zhang Nan brought a stack of A3 drawings and a small tool bag, with a small canvas bag containing measuring tapes and calipers slung across his shoulder. He didn't mind getting dirty or oily. Sometimes, when he encountered parts that needed to be modified, he would squat down on the machine tool to modify the drawings, often for an entire afternoon, until his legs were so sore he couldn't stand up anymore.

In the evening, Zhang Nan rode his bicycle back to the repair shop with large bags and bundles.

What warmed his heart was that no matter how late he returned home, the repair shop would always leave him food and dishes.

It wasn't leftover; it was a portion allocated specifically to him.

Chen Luyang has classes at school and it's inconvenient for her to go back to the repair shop.

Zhang Nan then transformed into a loudspeaker, spreading the good news back to the repair shop.

"real???"

Sun Hongjun was so excited his hair almost stood on end.

"Really 100 yuan a month??"

Good guy~
No wonder Director Lu said he wanted to play the long game.

This 100 yuan will be enough to cover my old age.

What kind of food can you eat that costs 100 yuan a month?

Not to mention food expenses, it's enough to cover electricity and water bills.

"All you ever think about is money," Director Lu said with a helpless laugh, scolding Sun Hongjun.

Although everyone felt that 100 yuan wasn't much, it was still better than nothing.

"We should have a drink with this great news!"

Sun Hongjun couldn't resist rubbing his hands together and turned to get the wine!
In the past few days, the repair shop has had several more people working there.

Although Sun Hongjun strictly followed Chen Luyang and Director Lu's requirements, treating them to the best food and meat at every meal, his heart was bleeding every day.

They couldn't even bear to take out the wine they had bought before.

Today is great! Knowing that the factory is paying an extra 100 yuan a month, Sun Hongjun couldn't contain his joy and turned to get the wine.

at night,

Zhang Nan happily drank and ate with everyone from the repair shop.

After finishing his drink, Director Lu made the final decision: "Don't go back to school today, Xiao Zhang. Sleep at the factory tonight, so you don't have to travel back and forth."

Now, the repair shop has arranged a "private bed" for Zhang Nan.

It was laid out neatly against the corner of the wall, near the windowsill, with a thick quilt. It was an old military quilt that Zuo Zhuo had brought from home, so heavy that it was impossible to turn over in bed at night.

After washing her face, Zhang Nan immediately crawled into bed, pulling the thick blanket up to her chin and tucking it in tightly.

In the darkness, Li He, Sun Hongjun, Zuo Zhuo, and the others were chatting excitedly in hushed tones:
"I never imagined that our little repair shop would actually become an experimental site for Peking University."

"Director Chen is really capable."

"Does that mean I'm now considered a semi-researcher and can go to the Peking University library to read books?"

"100 yuan a month... I don't know when I could earn 100 yuan a month."

"Jun'er, how about some braised pork knuckle tomorrow? I'm craving it while drinking today."

"Okay!! I'll make some more aspic and some garlic sauce."

……

"That's great~"

Zhang Nan nestled in bed, listening to their lively chatter, and unconsciously began to smile.

As for the specific advantages, he couldn't say.

But it's nice to just listen to them chat and gossip.

"Xiao Zhang, aren't we having a lot of fun here?"

Unable to sleep due to the sound of the bed being turned over, Tan Rensong once again began his nightly "talk therapy".

Zhang Nan nodded and smiled: "...It's quite interesting."

"What's so interesting about it? Tell me about it," Jiao Long asked curiously, leaning over the bed.

"Well, well... Look at those blueprints. Before, I only knew that what was drawn on them was a 'structure,' but now I know that it's a 'component,' a 'part,' and that it can rotate, get heated, and break... It's alive."

"I've found that I can draw faster than before."

Jiao Long frowned slightly.

What's so interesting about this?
"Is there anything else?" he asked again.

"...And you guys too, right?"

"us?"

Jiao Long was stunned for a moment, and even Li He and Sun Hongjun stopped their whispered laughter and quietly pricked up their ears.

“I used to intern in a machine repair workshop. Every day I would come to a small dark room and copy blueprints. Nobody would talk to you, and people would talk to the wall.”

"When lining up for lunch, people don't talk to those they don't know well, and once they've finished eating, no one waits for anyone else."

"Back then, I felt like a shadow. Nobody knew what I was doing, and nobody cared whether my drawings were correct or not. All I had to do was finish my work."

"But coming here is different. I feel it's particularly worthwhile."

Zhang Nan lifted her small feet, loosened the heavy old military blanket a bit, and then tucked it into the corner of the bed, wrapping herself up in a rectangle.

“The first time I went to the processing plant to draw a design, as soon as I knelt down on the ground, Uncle Zhang took a piece of cardboard from the inner room and stuffed it under my legs, saying, ‘Kid, don’t let your knees get hurt.’”

Zhang Guoqiang nonchalantly scoffed, "Your pants are new, and the factory floor is filthy. How could I not care?"

"And that time I didn't eat lunch, and the Red Army soldier insisted on taking two white steamed buns out of the pot for me, and also stuffed half a plate of peanuts into my mouth."

Ok? ? ?
The room fell silent for half a second.

Then almost everyone in the dormitory turned their heads at the same time, staring intently at Sun Hongjun in the darkness.

"Hey, you're one to say one thing and do another!"

"They say they're reluctant, but they give more than anyone else!"

"I remember there was half a plate of peanuts that day, but I couldn't find them anywhere in the kitchen. I figured you could have given them to Xiao Zhang."

In the darkness, Sun Hongjun shuddered in his blankets, his face flushing red.

Why does Zhang Nan look like she's never seen the world before?

Are those two steamed buns and a few peanuts that Ya Ya spat out really worth mentioning?
But Zhang Nan's voice continued, deep and resonant, yet it seemed to take a twist and penetrate one's heart.

"At first, I was worried that I was just a blueprinter and wouldn't be able to do any physical work, and that I wasn't very good at talking and wouldn't be able to connect with you."

“But none of you treated me like an outsider.”

"When they were explaining how to make a living, they would pull me in to listen; when they were eating, they would invite me to join them; and even when I was resting... they would leave me a bed."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I really didn't expect that I would have my own bed in the factory."

The conversation grew increasingly emotional, and sensing something was amiss, Director Lu quickly changed the subject:

"Alright, listen to this, our little Zhang is all lovey-dovey."

“That’s right, they were so touched, but I didn’t even get half a plate of peanuts,” Liu Kangwen laughed.

"Yes, normally we don't even get to eat a peanut shell, let alone peanuts."

Jiao Long joked.

I listened to everyone talking at once.

Sun Hongjun couldn't take it anymore.

"I was wrong, my ancestors. How about each of you fry a pot of peanuts tomorrow?"

After saying that, Sun Hongjun looked in Zhang Nan's direction, half-coaxing and half-pleading:

"Go to bed early, everyone."

"Stop with these sentimental lines. If you keep going, I might have to cook even more food."

Another burst of laughter erupted inside the room.

Zhang Nan smiled and shrank back into bed, pulling the corner of the blanket tighter, slowly relaxing.

(End of this chapter)